The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank based in Washington, DC, and dedicated to the study of migration worldwide. The Demetrios G. Papademetriou Young Scholars Program, named in honor of MPI’s founding president, has trained more than 375 future global migration scholars, policy analysts, and communicators, many of whom are now leaders in the field.

MPI’s internship program has two goals: harnessing the valuable contributions of interns for MPI's work and training the next generation of migration leaders.

MPI is committed to recruiting and supporting interns who reflect the breadth of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives in the countries where it works. As such, the Institute is committed to making sure that interns and staff members of all backgrounds work in an inclusive environment with equity and access for all.

RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS

Research Interns work within one of MPI's four program areas:

U.S. Immigration: Tracking and analysis of policies relating to asylum and refugee pathways, border management, immigration enforcement, legal immigration (temporary and permanent), legal status for unauthorized immigrants, and employment outcomes of highly educated immigrants; analysis of immigration, demographic, and economic trends; development of proposals for policy reform.

International Migration: Comparative analysis of immigration and integration policies in the areas of refugee resettlement and asylum, immigrant integration policies (including labor market integration and social cohesion), labor migration, borders and mobility, migration and development, and returns and reintegration.

U.S. Immigrant Integration: Issues related to early childhood education and care; Dual Language Learners and English Learners; K-12 immigrant education; adult education, training, and workforce development; state and local immigration/integration policy and services; and language access policy. (Full-time internship preferred.)

Latin America and Caribbean Initiative: Assessing policy responses to mixed migration flows, with a focus on northern Central America and Venezuela; evaluating migration management systems in key host countries, including Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia; reviewing legal migration pathways within and outside Latin America; tracking regional and international development policies; and identifying integration challenges and opportunities in education, health care, labor markets, and community building. Written proficiency and oral fluency in Spanish are required.

Within each of these substantive areas, research intern duties include:

• Contributing to overall MPI research efforts, including through independent quantitative and/or qualitative research and policy analysis
• Writing paper drafts and preparing literature summaries
• Providing administrative support for events
• Attending and summarizing congressional hearings and other relevant public and private events
• Light administrative tasks.

COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIPS

MPI offers communications internships, providing essential dissemination and other support across the Institute and with the ability to experience the breadth of its work across research areas.

The Communications Intern works on marketing, media tracking, social media, and similar duties, and at times with the Migration Information Source, MPI’s award-winning online journal. Strong editorial, social media, and multimedia skills are required for this full-time internship. Duties may include:

• Crafting digital campaigns and visuals
• Tracking media mentions and identifying news outlets for targeted outreach
• Assisting in the dissemination of publications
• Editing audio and video
• Researching potential authors and topics
• Assisting with planning and supporting private and public events and meetings.

General Internship Application Deadlines